Concentrating apparatus



Oct. 17, 1939. H. F. sMrrH CONCENTRATING APPARATUS Original Filed June 23, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet'l um S Q Oct.v 17, 1939. H. F. sMn'H CONCENTBATING APPARATUS original Filed June 2:5, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONCENTRATING APPARATUS Harry F. Smith, Dayton, Ohio, assigner to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Original application June 23, 1930, Serial No. 463,085. Divided and this application October 7, 1936, Serial No. 104,489

'Z Claims.

, ratus.

panying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

vIn the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view diagrammatic in its nature, showing an apparatus embodying this invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-'sectional view of another portion of Fig. 1.

The liquid absorbing agent or hygroscopic medium in the chamber Il of the air conditioning apparatus may be contacted with the air to be conditioned in any suitable manner. Preferably it is contacted with the air by spray device 'l0 which sprays the liquid absorbent ln the air. Eliminators 'H may be provided in order to prevent the carrying of the spray by the air from the chamber ll. `The liquid absorbent, which may be calcium chloride, lithium chloride, bromide or iodide, glycerine orthe like, is gathered in a sump and carried by the pipe 'l2 to a device 60 serving alternately as a concentrator or diluter in which water is added or removed from the absorbent as conditions require. From there the liquid absorbent is carried through'a pipe 73 to a device M serving alternately as a heater or cooler, where the absorbent has the proper temperature imparted to it. From thence the liquid absorbent is. carried by the pipe 'l5 to the pump 76 and from'thence-to the spray device 10. As will be hereinafter more fully explained, the action in the evaporator or diluter 60 and the heater or cooler 'lil is automatically varied in order to impart to the air in the chamber Il the proper relative humidity at any proper temperature so that when the air is distributed in the rooms I3 and after it has attained the normal temperature to be maintained in the room I3, y

it will have the desired relative humidity.

For a more detailed description of the construction and operation of the heating and cooling apparatus, reference is hereby made to Patent No. 2,063,960, of which this application is a division.

In the summer time, it is generally desirable to remove moisture from the air in the chamber Il. This. may be accomplished by'suitably concentrating the solution in the device or concentrator 60, suitably cooling the solution in the device or coolerA 'I4 and thereafter spraying the cooled solution in the spray device 10. In order to accomplish this, steam is discharged from the boiler 20 through thepipe 2l, coil 22, and returned through the pipe 23 to the boiler 20. The steam passing through the coil 22 is regulated by means of a valve 40 controlled by a thermostatic bulb 40' in the evaporator 00. At the same time water ilows from the city water supply 30 through pipe 3l from which it branches through the pipe 83 to the sump ll and through the coils 32 and waste drain 30. Water also is carried from the city water supply 30 through the pipe 35, coils 36 and pipe 3l to the drain 30 in order to cool the solution in the cooler l0. It is desirable to have the concentrating and cooling action automatic, and for this purpose the valve '40 maintains a substantially constant temperature in the evaporator B by controlling the .flow of steam through the coil 22. The hydrostatic iloat 4l is so regulated that it operates the fan 02 by means of a'motor t2' which causes air to pass through pipe 86 over the heated solution in the evaporator 60, from thence out through the pipe 8l and is discharged outside of the building. A thermostat 03 preferably placed in the pipe l5 controls the ilow of water through the coil 36 so that the temperature of the solution passing from the cooler 'l0 is maintained at a substantially constant temperature. From this it is to be seen that the air in the summer time rst has `a definite temperature and relative humidity imparted to it by the solution sprayed from device '10. The heat of absorption is then removed from n the air by means of the water coils 32 and thereafter the temperature of the air is further lowered by means of the evaporation of water in the chamber i9. It is to be seen that air may be obtained at ordinary city water temperature and a relatively low humidity or that air may be obtained at relatively high humidity but at a much lower temperature than the city water.

In the winter time, a certain amount of moisture is added in the chamber Il at a suitab1e temperature, thereafter the air is heated inthe chamber I by the coils 5| to a sufciently high temperature to compensate for heat losses of the building, That is, the air must be of sulciently higher temperature in the ducts |2 vso that when the air is discharged in the room I3 it tends to maintain the temperature in the rooms at a certain constant temperature in spite of heat losses through the Walls of the building. In order to impart the desired humidity and temperature to the air in the winter, steam ilows from the heater 20 through the pipe 50, coils 5|v and from thence the condensate flows through pipe 52 back to the heater or boiler 20. Steam also ows through the pipe 2| through the branch 53, coil 54 and. from thence the condensate ows through the pipe 23 back to the boiler 20. It is to be understood that the coil 54 preferably is above the level of the liquid in the boiler 20, although it is shown diagrammatically below in order to avoid complications in the drawings. Water from the city supply 30 ows through pipe 3| and from thence to a control 55 into the diluter 60. A constant temperature and concentration of solution is preferably automatically maintained in the device 60. This is accomplished, in the winter time, by causing the hydrostatic oat 4| to prevent the action of the fan 42 and to prevent the 110W of steam through the coil 22. The hydrostatic iloat 90 operates to add water through the device 55 in order to compensate for the water evaporated in the chamber |1. The solution then has any predetermined desired temperature imparted to it in the device 14, preferably by causing the thermostat 43 to control by the double valve 44 the ow of steam through the coil 54 and to prevent the flow of water through the coil 36. It is to be understood that dilerent thermostats' and independent valves may be provided to control the action of the water in the coil 36 and of steam through the coil 54 if desired.

The heater or boiler 20 may provide either steam or hot Water as desired, it being understood that when steam is mentioned specifically it may be ordinarily replaced by hot water. The temperature in the heater or boiler 20 is preferably maintained at a constant temperature by providing a thermostat 9| which controls the action of a valve 92 for controlling the combustion in the burner 93. The burner 93 may be a gas burner and may thus be supplied with gas through pipe 94. Air for the combustion Yof the burner 93 is preferably provided by means of an air duct ||0 which is connected to the outside of the building, while the products of combustion are carried by means of the pipe to a suitable chimney also leading outside of the building'.

' The hydrostatic iloat 4| may control the action of the fan 42 and also under certain conditions the ilow of steam through the coil 22 by any suitable means preferably by electric action. Thus the hydrostatic float 4| actuates a snap switch 91 which starts and stops the motor 42 and operates a magnetic valve 98 for controlling the flow of steam in the coil 22. The snap switch may be of any suitable construction. This hydrostatic oat 4I is connected to an arm 99 suitably connected to a Sylphon |00 which is connected to the wall |0| of the evaporator 60. The arm 99 operates through a suitable link |02, the arm |03 of the snap switch 91. Since snap switches are widely known it is unnecessary to describe specically am1 type, it being understood that the :dow of electric current through the leads |04 is broken by the action of the snap switch 91.

The hydrostatic oat 90 controls the addition of water in the Winter in order to dilute the solution in the diluter 60. For this purpose the .oat 90 is connected to an arm |05 which is suitably sealed by means of a Sylphon bellows |06 connected tothe Wall |0| of the device 60 which thus acts as a diluter. The arm operates a snap link |01 which controls the movement of the valve stem |08 to open and close the valve 55. If desired a suitable Sylphon packing |09 is provided for the stem |08.

When it is desired to use the Kherein described method or apparatus with the use of a lithium halide salt, the solution may be. concentrated and proper temperatures may be imparted to it in accordance with the chart disclosed in the application of Francis R. Bichowsky, Serial No. 457,142, i'lled May 29, 1930. Under such circumstances it is to be understood that when the solution is to be concentrated in the device 60 the thermostat 40 is regulated so that the steam in the coil 22 imparts to the solution the temperature of the boiling point of the properly concentrated lithium halide solution. Also the thermostat 43 may be regulated to impart to the solution passing through the pipe 15 the proper temperature in order to impart to the air in the chamber |1 the desired relative humidity and temperature as indicated in the chart of the said copending application.

The spraying device may be used to impart the total temperature necessary to the air Without the use of the coils 5|. Under such conditions the steam coil 54 assumes the entire heating load for the system and must be of a capacity to provide sufficient heat for the entire building. Further if the spray from device 10 is to provide the entire cooling action during the summer time by the elimination of the coil 32, then the water coil 36 must be of suicient capacity to provide the entire necessary cooling action for the building in the summer time.

'Ihe hydrostatic float 4| and the thermostat 40 may be used independently of each other, either being suilcient to accomplish proper concentration. If the oat 4| alone is used, it starts the blower 42 and the ilow of steam through coils 22 by means of the Valve 98 when the solution is insuiliciently concentrated and stops the action when the concentration reaches a proper degree. When the thermostat 40 alone is used,

^ a suitable steam escape is provided, such as the .pipe 81.

the temperature rises above this point the solution is suciently concentrated and the ow of A steam in coil 22 is stopped by means of the valve 40. When the temperature of the solution does not reach the setting of the thermostat, the solution is under-concentrated and the ilow of steam in the coils 22 continues until sufcient concentration is attained.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Concentrating apparatus comprising means forming a ilow path for liquid to be concentrated, a heater for liquid in said flow path, a thermostat temperature of heated liquid, a blower circulating a gaseous medium in said ilow path in contact with said heated liquid, and means controlling the operation of said blower in accordance with the specic gravity of said liquid.

2. Concentrating apparatus comprising means forming a. flow path for liquid to be concentrated. a heater for liquid in said flow path, a motor and blower circulating a gaseous medium in said flow path in contact with said heated liquid, and a switch responsive to the density of said liquid controlling the operation of said motor and blower.

v 3. Concentrating apparatus comprising means forming a flow path for liquid to be concentrated, a heater for liquid in said now path, gas circulating means circulating a gaseous medium in contact with liquid in said flow path, and a hydrometer controlled switch controlling the operation of said gas circulating means.

4. Concentrating apparatus comprising means forming a flow path for liquid to be concentrated, a heater for liquid in said flow path, gas circulating means circulating ar gaseous medium in contact with liquid in said flow path, and a hydrometer responsive to the density of said liquid controlling the operation of said gas circulating means.

5. Liquid conditioning apparatus for maintaining a hygroscopic liquid at a predetermined concentration comprising flow means forming a ow path for liquid to be conditioned, gas circulating means circulating a gaseous drying medium in contact with liquid in said flow path, diluting means connected to said ow means, and hydrometer means responsive to the density of said liquid controlling the operation of said gas circulating means and said diluting means so as to maintain said hygroscopic liquid at a predetermined concentration.

6. Means for concentrating a liquid comprising, a receptacle for said liquid, means for heating a quantity of saidliquid, means for regulating the amount of heat added ln accordance with the concentration of said liquid, means for circulating a vapor yremoving medium in contact with a quantity of said liquid, and means for regulating the circulation of said medium in accordance with the concentration of said liquid.

'1. Concentrating apparatus comprising a re'- ceptacle for a liquid to be concentrated, a heater for said liquid, means for circulating a vapor removing medium in contact with said liquid, and hydrometer means responsive to the density of said liquid controlling the operation of said heater and said circulating means.y

` HARRY F. SMITH. 

